Square POS starts free on Square Free with in-person card payments at 2.6% + 15 cents, while Shopify POS starts at $39 a month on Basic with card rates from 2%. Square is cheaper to start; Shopify earns its fee if you already sell online with Shopify.
Every figure below is from Square's pricing and point of sale pages and Shopify's POS pricing page, as of Nov 2026. These are US prices. I've put the money first, because that's what decides this for most small businesses.
The fees table
Square sells three tiers. The monthly fee applies to each location you run on Square Plus and Square Premium.
| Square | Square Free | Square Plus | Square Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $0/mo. per location | $49/mo. per location | $149/mo. per location |
| In-person card (tap, dip or swipe) | 2.6% + 15¢ | 2.5% + 15¢ | 2.4% + 15¢ |
| Online or invoice card payments | 3.3% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ | 2.9% + 30¢ |
| Manual entry or card on file | 3.5% + 15¢ | 3.5% + 15¢ | 3.5% + 15¢ |
| Cards issued outside the US | +1.5% | +1.5% | +1.5% |
| Free trial | Not needed | Free 30-day trial | Free 30-day trial |
Shopify sells four POS-capable plans. Its page lists card rates as starting figures, and every paid plan location can add POS Pro.
| Shopify | Basic | Grow | Advanced | Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $39 USD | $105 USD | $399 USD | $2,300 USD on a 3-year term |
| Card rates | Starting at 2% | Starting at 1% | Starting at 0.6% | Best rates for high-volume merchants |
| Credits | Up to $5,000 | Up to $7,500 | Up to $10,000 | Not listed |
| Staff on POS | Limited staff | Unlimited POS logins | Unlimited POS logins | Unlimited POS logins |
| POS Pro add-on | + $89 USD/month per location | + $89 USD/month per location | + $89 USD/month per location | Not listed separately |
Shopify's intro offer: try it free for 3 days, then get 3 months for $1/month. Square points sellers who process over $250,000 per year toward a conversation about custom pricing and processing fees.
Hardware: what you need on the counter
Square makes its own kit and lists a Handheld, Terminal, Register, Stand (an iPad POS or self-service kiosk), Kiosk, a Reader for contactless and chip, and a Reader for magstripe. Its pricing page says hardware options start at $59. Add-on software costs extra per device: the Square KDS app is $30/mo. per device on Plus and $20/mo. on Premium, and Square Kiosk is $99/mo. per device, with Kiosk Lite on iOS at $50/mo. per device on Plus and $30/mo. on Premium. Neither is available in Square Free.
Shopify's answer to the upfront cost question is simpler: you need a smartphone or tablet and a Shopify card reader, then you can add hardware accessories to build out a checkout counter. Its POS app runs on iPad and Android.
One thing I like on Square's side: offline payments. Square says you can keep selling when you lose service or Wi-Fi, and it stores offline payments and receipts for 24 hours. Shopify's POS pricing page doesn't mention offline selling, so check that before you rely on it at a market stall.
Who each one suits
Square suits you if you're starting out, selling mostly in person, or running food and drink. You can open on Square Free for $0 a month and only pay when you take a payment. Cafes and restaurants get kitchen display and kiosk options built for them, and services businesses get appointments tools in the same family.
Shopify POS suits you if your online shop already runs on Shopify, or will. That's the real reason to pay $39 a month before you've sold a thing: one stock list, one set of customer profiles, online and in store. If you're planning the in-store side as well, these ideas for making your shop floor more engaging are worth a look, and if you're already on Shopify, here are ways to lift your store's sales.
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Multi-location retailers should cost both carefully. Square charges its plan fee per location on Plus and Premium. Shopify's POS Pro costs $89 USD a month billed yearly for each location, and it's what unlocks staff roles and permissions. Shopify's page says POS Pro is aimed at businesses with lots of foot traffic, multiple tiers of staff, or a large inventory catalog.
The catch, and my verdict
The catch with Shopify is that the sticker price isn't the store price. A single shop on Basic with POS Pro is $39 plus $89 a month before any card fees, and Basic only gives limited staff POS access. The catch with Square is the online rate: on Square Free, card payments online or through an invoice cost 3.3% + 30¢, noticeably more than the 2.9% + 30¢ on the paid tiers. If you invoice a lot, Free isn't as free as it looks.
My verdict: if you sell mostly in person and don't have a Shopify store, start on Square Free and only move up when the lower card rate pays for the monthly fee. If your business already lives on Shopify online, pay for Shopify POS and keep everything in one place. Don't run two systems to save a percentage point; the time you lose reconciling them costs more.
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Quick answers
Is Square POS free?
Square Free costs $0/mo. per location, and you pay processing fees when you take a payment, starting at 2.6% + 15¢ in person, as of Nov 2026.
How much does Shopify POS cost?
Shopify's Basic plan starts at $39 USD a month, with card rates starting at 2%. POS Pro adds $89 USD a month for each location.
Which has lower card fees, Square or Shopify?
Square's in-person rate runs from 2.6% + 15¢ down to 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium. Shopify lists rates starting at 2%, 1% and 0.6% across Basic, Grow and Advanced.
What hardware do I need for Shopify POS?
Shopify says you need a smartphone or tablet and a Shopify card reader, and you can add accessories to complete the setup.
